


Love spell

by BooksandWanderlust



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Anne is a nerd, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Harry Potter References, Phillip Carlyle Needs a Hug, first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 07:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18231494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandWanderlust/pseuds/BooksandWanderlust
Summary: "You've never seen Harry Potter?" she asked alarmed. "We must correct this situation immediately."Or Anne introduces Phillip to the wonders of the wizarding world. Lots of fluff, Tumblr prompt.





	Love spell

Sighing, Phillip walked into his and Anne’s apartment and peeled off his coat, he’d been up since 6 a.m. and it was Saturday. Phineas had decided the circus needed to be renovated which endless amounts of paperwork and working ungodly long hours. 

 

“Hey” a voice called out, “How was the meeting?” Curled on the couch with a bucket of popcorn in her lap, Anne was the picture of ease. Lowering the volume and turning to him expectantly she waited for him to reply.

 

“Good, they think they can get the rest of the renovations done by next week so hopefully we’ll be up and running soon” Collapsing beside her he leaned over and kissed her temple. He knew Anne was restless and he didn’t blame her, it had been weeks since their last show. She tried to keep herself busy, trying out new recipes and teaching ballet part-time at a studio uptown but she missed performing.

 

Anne smiled at him before turning back to her movie, “Good”. The bright flashes of light turned his attention to the television where a guy with two faces was yelling at a boy with glasses. 

 

“What are you watching?” 

 

“Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone” she replied, scooping more popcorn into her mouth. 

 

“Which one’s that one?” 

 

Anne looked at him like he’d grown a second head. Setting her bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table, she turned to face him. “You’ve never seen this movie?” she asked alarmed.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Harry Potter movie.” It was true, though he’d heard of them, and vaguely recalled that it had something to do with wizards and a villain with a weird name.

 

“Don’t lie to me, Carlyle.”

 

“I’m serious,”  he said, lips twitching in amusement at her outrage. Anne was passionate about the things she loved, it was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her, and films were no exception. She was constantly suggesting movie nights for their dates or scouring Netflix for another show to binge. 

 

“How have you never seen these?” she half shouted.

 

His amusement faded, “I wasn’t exactly a big movie goer in my teens,” he said quietly. His teen years, or what he could remember of them, were mostly spent drinking himself into oblivion at high-end parties he was forced to attend. Even as a kid he was never allowed to read fantasy books, his parents insisted that he focus on the classics- Dickens, Shakespeare, and the likes.

 

Anne faltered for a second then said with faux haughtiness, “This is absolutely appalling Mr. Carlyle, we must correct this situation immediately!” 

 

“Oh yes, it is imperative that I be educated.” he grinned. He loved that she didn’t push him to talk about it, she trusted that he would come to her in his own time. Anne had always known just what to do when it came to him as if she could read his mind, Phillip loved her even more for it. Smiling at her, he reached for the throw blanket on the arm of the couch and draped it over them as Anne began to babble about the intricacies of the wizarding world.

  
  


Twelve hours later and they were only half way through the fourth movie. Empty takeout containers and water bottles littered the coffee table. 

 

“Wait so how did his name get into the goblet of fire in the first place?” Phillip asked blinking blearily.

 

“I can’t tell you that, it will spoil everything for you!” Anne whispered from her place on Phillip’s chest.  

 

“I bet it was the twins. Or maybe Snape, he seems to really have it out for the kid.” 

 

“Would you just watch the movie please?” 

 

Chuckling at her insistence he turned back to the screen. His exhaustion was wearing on him, but they were only halfway through the series. Resting his chin on Anne’s head he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, letting the scent of her soothe him, hints of vanilla and honey filled his lungs. He missed this, spending lazy days in bed with Anne, cooking dinner together, talking to her. It felt like weeks since he’d been able to share a meal with her.  

 

As the credits rolled he felt Anne shifting against him. “Why do you love these movies so much?” he asked her. 

 

Anne turned her head to look at him. “ I didn’t have that many friends growing up, and even though I had W.D. I was lonely so I read a lot because in books I discovered that I could be whoever I wanted to be, go wherever I wanted to go and for a mixed-race kid in Louisiana that was everything. One day I checked out the first book from the school library and I fell in love with it, with the magic and the adventure, and the freedom it gave me. Reading was my only escape until the circus came to town one summer.”

 

Phillip smiled gently “And you saw the trapeze.” 

 

Nodding, Anne turned back to the screen and queued the next movie. Pulling her back into his arms he melted at the thought of little Anne Wheeler buried in a book in a corner of a library. The fifth movie began to play and he was pulled back into the story. 

 

………………………………………………………… 

 

“Hey flip?” Anne called softly.

 

He grunted in response, too relaxed to verbally answer her, he could vaguely make out the rolling of the credits through the haze of sleep in his eyes. 

 

“Do you want to just go to bed? We can finish this tomorrow.”

 

Sighing in relief at Anne’s reply he nodded and sat up bringing her with him, bed sounded like heaven to him. Gathering the trash scattered around them, Phillip headed to the kitchen to dispose of it while Anne shut off the television. God, he had dreamed about crawling into bed with his girlfriend all day. As Anne headed to their bathroom to brush her teeth, Phillip pulled off his shirt and pants and dumped them unceremoniously into the hamper. 

 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, his gaze drifted to where she stood at the sink a familiar swell in his chest as he drank in the sight of her. She was beautiful, kind, perfect, and for some crazy reason, she loved him. His life had been gray before Anne, sure he attended fancy social events and produced successful plays but the people at those events were stiff with pretentiousness and the plays riddled with bland propriety. The circus -Anne, had brought color into his world, so bright and breathtaking it had brought him to life. 

 

Rinsing her toothbrush she flashed him a tired smile as he walked into the bathroom and picked up the toothpaste, more than ready to give in to the lull of sleep. After finishing, he turned to find that Anne had was fast asleep, tucked under the duvet, stray curls trailing on the pillow behind her. Collapsing on the other side of the bed, he scooted closer to her, pulled her into his arms, and placed a kiss against her forehead when she began to stir.

 

“Love you,” she mumbled against him.

 

“I love you too,” he whispered back.  

 

………………………………………………………… 

 

A week later, Phillip walked through the door grinning as he made his way into the kitchen where Anne was busily chopping bell peppers. The circus was finally finished, and as promised Phillip was taking some time off work to spend with his beautiful girlfriend. 

 

“Hi, ” he said as he pressed her lips to hers.

 

“Hi, you’re happy today”

 

“That’s because I have something for you, ”  he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of tickets, handing them to Anne.

 

Curiosity burning in her eyes, she scanned the papers, eyes widening in delight as she read and reread them. “Are you serious?” she asked breathlessly.

 

“As a heart attack.” 

 

Laughing at her excited shriek he pulled her into his arms and jokingly said to her, “ I take it you like your surprise then?”

 

“Are you kidding? This is amazing!”, she gasped “We can buy wands, and have butterbeer, and walk through Diagon Alley!” He had gotten them tickets to Harry Potter World, he figured that after all the overtime he’d been working at the circus he deserved a vacation and, truth be told, he wanted to go too. It turns out the series was even better than he thought it would be, he’d started reading the books not long after their marathon. 

 

Taking his face into her hands she smiled. That brilliant smile he fell in love with, the one that made his heart swell in awe. “I love it, and I love you.”

 

Leaning in to kiss her he said, “ I love you too, even if you turned me into a huge Potterhead.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please be sure to review!


End file.
